Helsingin Sanomat, PS MP Laura Huhtasaari, populism and Islamophobia

There is one picture (see below) from an article on Helsingin Sanomat about Perussuomalaiset (PS)* MP Laura Huhtasaari that speaks volumes about not only her ethnocentric views when she visits a mosque for the first time in her life but that of Finland’s leading daily as well.

Huhtasaari, who is convinced that she is on some anti-Islam crusade to rid Finland of Muslims, is not wearing a veil in the picture below and asking a tolerant imam, Mohammed Hussein Omer, some dumb questions like why Muslim women wear veils.

While Huhtasaari attempts to control her Islamophobic views during the visit, she is quoted a day before claiming that refugees that come from Islamic countries have not integrated successfully into our society. “We can see this in violent and rape crimes of those we accept here and who have not adapted,” she said.

Huhtasaari believes that migration from Islamic countries is a security risk for Finland.

This PS MP has an odd way of debating. She commonly tries to back up her comments with statements like “this research proves what I’m saying is right” but then if you ever get the source you will soon discover that it is more hearsay than fact.

One of the many urban tales she spreads to support her Islamophobic and anti-immigration views is that there are no-go zones in Sweden and her recent claims in Helsingin Sanomat that Muslims are a security risk to Finland.

The fact that a person like Huhtasaari can air her Islamophobic views in Finland’s leading daily so freely reveals that the media is a refuge dump for such statements and one-sided discourse.

At least ask an expert to put the PS MP’s statements in context.

It would be a good start that would help make the present ongoing debate on immigration and cultural diversity more meaningful to all parties concerned.

* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We therefore prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings.